Effects of Congenital Agrammatic Broca’s Aphasia on the Arabic MorphoSyntactic Structure: The Case of Down Syndrome Children in Tlemcen

Abstract

This study delves into the morpho-syntactic impairments in the Arabic language among children with Down syndrome, scrutinizes their linguistic disabilities, interrogates Universal Grammar, and unravels the genetic underpinnings. It employs a combination of inductive and deductive reasoning, utilizing an exploratory, single instrumental, and holistic case study approach with a mixed method design. The research was conducted in Tlemcen province, including Down syndrome children, their teachers, a psychologist, and an expert in molecular genetics and neurology. The data collected unequivocally supports the prevalence of Arabic agrammatic representations of Broca's aphasia in Algerian children with Down syndrome. Remarkably, the Arabic language highlights these linguistic challenges more prominently than other languages. Additionally, the agrammatic representations exhibited by children with Down syndrome challenge the foundational principles of Universal Grammar. Furthermore, 238 the study establishes a direct link between the genetic anomaly associated with Down syndrome and the manifestation of language disorders in affected children. These insights drive a paradigm shift, fostering an interdisciplinary field that transcends traditional boundaries.